Scientists create programmable circuits in human cells that could lead to 'biocomputers'

Researchers say they've successfully created a more powerful computer-like human cell that could eventually be used to help monitor one's health or even fight against cancer and other illnesses. Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, researchers were able to model a human cell after a computer and make what they are referring to as a'program scalable circuits.' 'This cell computer may sound like a very revolutionary idea, but that's not the case," said Martin Fussenegger, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel. 'The human body itself is a large computer. Its metabolism has drawn on the computing power of trillions of cells since time immemorial.'